Uṣūl al-Shāshī: Sunnah, Ijmāʿ, and Qiyās
Instructor: Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed
October 2025 to June 2026
About the Course
Uṣūl al-Shāshī by al-Faqīḥ Niẓām al-Dīn al-Shāshī (a 7th/13th century scholar) is an introductory work in uṣūl al-fiqh aiming to gather and reconcile the various positions of earlier legal theorists of the Ḥanafī madhhab from both the Iraqi and Central Asian traditions.
This course will cover the second half of the text, which outlines interpretive methodologies for deriving rulings from the Sunnah of the Blessed Messenger ﷺ, the consensus (ijmāʿ) of the scholars and community, and various modes of legal reasoning (ijtihād), including inference by analogy (qiyās).
This course has been designed as a first course in uṣūl al-fiqh and does not require or presume prior study of the first half of Uṣūl al-Shāshī, which covers the principles of deriving rulings from the Majestic Book of Allah (swt).
Due to occasional places in the text that are difficult to solve and the lack of extensive examples, the study of Uṣūl al-Shāshī is sometimes prefaced by a contemporary primer in uṣūl. Instead, each module will begin with an instructional overview introducing the terms (istilāḥāt) and principles (uṣūl) of that section. This will be followed by a close reading of the text, with additional commentary and examples as needed. The course will also train students in methods of reading and solving unvowelled Arabic texts, or ḥall al-kitāb.
This course is intended for:
- Intermediate students of classical Islamic learning with two or more years of prior study.
- Graduates of ʿAlimiyyah or similar Islamic scholarship programs seeking a refresher course or exposure to pedagogies of teaching.
Successful completion of this course is a prerequisite for USUL 302: al-Muntakhab al-Ḥusāmī: Sunnah, Ijmāʿ, and Qiyās
Prerequisites
Note: prior study of uṣūl al-fiqh, or of the first section of Uṣūl al-Shāshī (Kitāb Allāh (swt)), is welcome but not required. Students should have:
- Core Islamic knowledge, including (1) translation of the Quran, (2) Sīrah of the Blessed Messenger ﷺ, (3) a foundational hadith collection such as Riyādh al-Ṣāliḥīn, and (4) fundamental knowledge of imān and ʿaqīdah
- A sincere desire and commitment to practicing the dīn by obeying Allah ﷻ, following the Sunnah of the Blessed Messenger ﷺ, and developing virtuous character and behavior in public and privately.
- Competence in foundational Arabic grammar (naḥw), through completion of a text such as hidāyat al-naḥw, al-ajrūmiyyah, or the like.
- Competence in foundational Arabic morphology (ṣarf)
- Completion of at least half of a core primary text (matn) in Ḥanafī fiqh, ideally Mukhtaṣar al-Qudūrī.
Format
Because in-person interaction is vital to the study of sacred knowledge, this course will be taught in a hybrid format. While classes will be held online, students must attend three additional in-person Saturday sessions, either in Tampa, Florida or in the NYC/NJ/Philadelphia area. Only those able to commit to this requirement should register.
Schedule
This course will meet for 27 weeks from the weeks of Monday, October 13, 2025 to Friday, June 19, 2026 as follows:
- Oct 13 – Dec 19 [10 weeks]
- Jan 5 – Feb 13 [6 weeks]
- Mar 30 – May 21 [8 weeks]
- June 1 – June 19 [3 weeks]
Timings
Classes will usually meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from approximately 8:30pm – 9:30pm, but will meet slightly later in October, from 9pm – 10pm, and slightly earlier in April, from 8pm – 9pm, to account for changes in salah timings.
After clicking “Apply Now” below, you will be redirected to a Timings Survey. Please indicate all of the time slots from the options provided that you would be able to regularly commit to. This will help us coordinate a schedule that works for the greatest number of students.
Enrollment will be finalized after confirming availability and setting up a payment plan.
Students will be required to attend classes live and may only request limited access to recordings for excused absences, up to two sessions per month.
Registration
Registration is now closed for this class.
Tuition
$640 or $80/month for eight months
Payment arrangements will be made once enrollment is confirmed, which includes finalizing class timing availability and reviewing the student’s application.
Financial Aid: We are committed to ensuring that financial hardship does not prevent anyone from studying at Kufah. Students are encouraged to contribute whatever they can, but payment is not required if unable. This financial aid process is based on trust (amānah) and does not involve any financial checks or assessments.
Material
All students should purchase one of the following two editions of the text from the bookseller of their choice. Be sure to click on the photos of the pages of each edition for an informed comparison:
A modern typeset edition with color-coded printing, recommended for most:
The classical handwritten calligraphy style for the bold and courageous! (significantly more difficult to read):
Instructor Bio
Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed was born and raised in Manhattan. While at college at the University of Chicago, he turned to religion, and in 1999, he left America to spend twenty years abroad. He pursued the classical disciplines of Islamic learning, becoming a traditionally trained Islamic scholar, receiving the ‘Ālimiyyah and Takhassus fi’l-Fiqh degrees. He then served as an instructor and guide to university students and professionals in Pakistan, England, and South Africa. From 2005-2013, he was a professor of Islamic Thought and Intellectual History at leading universities in Pakistan, including LUMS and AKU. In 2017, he returned to academia to pursue a PhD in Islamic Intellectual History at the University of Oxford. From 2020-2023, he held research fellowships in Islamic philosophy at Princeton University and Yale University. Since 2023, he has worked as a researcher and administrator at a nonprofit institute in the Princeton area. He also serves as an academic advisor and remote instructor at Kufah. His talks are available at: Islamic Spirituality YouTube Channel.